DAILY GK: 14 MAY 2021

DAILY GK: 14 MAY 2021

 1. CEEW-CEF REPORT

•     According to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water-Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF)  Market Handbook  2020-21 (Annual Issue), India added 12.1 GigaWatt (GW) power generation capacity in 2020-21, of which 7.7 GW was from renewable energy sources (64%), followed by coal/lignite (3.9 GW) segment.

•     The share of Renewable Energy (RE) in the overall energy sector in 2020 was 10.1 %, up from 9.4% in FY 2020.

 

2. NATIONAL BAMBOO MISSION LAUNCHES MIS MODULE

•     National Bamboo Mission (NBM) has launched an MIS Module (Management Information Systems) for strengthening the domestic Agarbatti Industry.

•     The module will collect data on agarbatti stick production, location of stick making units, availability of raw material, functioning of units, production capacity, marketing etc.

•     NBM, Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) have come together to make India AtmaNirbhar in the Agarbatti sector.

 

3. WORLD BANK REPORT ON REMITTANCE

•     According to a report released by the World Bank, India received USD 83 Billion as Remittances in 2020, a drop of just 0.2% from 2019 (USD 83.3 Billion in 2019). 

•     It topped the list of countries with maximum Remittance Inflows, India was followed by China (USD 59.5 Billion), Mexico (USD 42.8 Billion).

•     Remittance outflow was maximum from the United States (USD 68 Billion), followed by UAE (USD 43 Billion), Saudi Arabia (USD 34.5 Billion).

•     Remittances outflow from India in 2020 was USD 7 Billion, against USD 7.5 Billion in 2019.

 

4. CHINA CENSUS REPORT

•     According to the 7th census conducted by  China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), China’s annual population growth stood at ‘0.53%’ in the last decade (2010-20), the lowest since 1953.

•     China’s population stood at 1.41 Billion in 2020.

•     The report also states that 12 million babies were born in 2020 (lowest number since 1961), with the number of births falling for the 4th consecutive year.

•     According to Chinese demographers, India may overtake China as the most populous country by 2023 or 2024, much sooner than the UN projects of 2027.

 

5. CENTRAL GOVT ISSUED SOVEREIGN GOLD BONDS IN 6 TRANCHES

•     The Government of India(GoI), in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds FY22.

•     The Sovereign Gold Bonds will be issued in 6 tranches from May 2021 to September 2021.

•     The Bonds will be sold through Scheduled Commercial banks (except Small Finance Banks and Payment Banks), Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices.

•     They are the government securities denominated in grams of gold and they are issued by the RBI on behalf of the government.

•     To reduce the demand for physical gold, the sovereign gold bond scheme was launched in November 2015.

 

6. YOWERI MUSEVENI WAS SWORN IN AS THE PRESIDENT OF UGANDA

•     YoweriMuseveni of the National Resistance Movement party has sworn in for the 6th term as the President of Uganda.

•     He took the oath of office at the ceremony held in Kampala, Uganda.

•     He is expected to serve as the President of Uganda till 2025.

 

7. UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF

•     UnitedNations(UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed veteran British diplomat Martin Griffiths as the new UN humanitarian Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator(Chief).

•     He succeeds Mark Lowcock, a Briton who has served as undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator for four years.

 

8. BOOK- “ALL TIME FAVOURITES FOR CHILDREN” TO BE RELEASED

•     Most Renowned author Ruskin Bond, is coming up with a new book titled “All Time Favourites for Children” on his 87th birthday on May 19, 2021.

•     It will be published by Puffin, children’s imprint of Penguin Random House.

•     Illustrations of the book was done by KashmiraSarode.

 

9. BOOK-“ELEPHANT IN THE WOMB”

•     Actress Kalki Koechlin has authored her debut book titled “Elephant In The Womb”, a non-fiction book on motherhood.

•     The illustrations of the book were done by  ValeriyaPolyanychko.

•     The illustrated non fiction book will be published by the Penguin Random House. India(PRHI).

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DAILY GK: 13 MAY 2021

 DAILY GK: 13 MAY 2021

1.AROUND 219 ENDANGERED SPECIES THREATENED BY ARMED CONFLICT

•        According to the report ‘Nature in a Globalised World: Conflict & Conservation’ released by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – Civil unrest and military exercises pose high risk to 219 Endangered Species (out of 30, 178 species assessed as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species).

•        The report is the 1st in IUCN’s Nature in a globalised world report series.

 

2.GOOGLE PAY LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFERS FOR US USERS

•        Google Pay has launched International Money Transfers for its United States (US) users, it has launched the initiative in partnership with remittance firms – Wise and Western Union Co.

•        Using the feature, Google Pay users in the US can transfer money to app customers in India & Singapore.

•        Google Pay has 150 million users in 40 countries, and this initiative is seen as a step to expand its financial services offering, and increase competition in the digital payments sector.

 

3.INDIA’S GDP TO GROW 7.5% IN 2021, 10.1% IN 2022: UN

•        In its mid-year report of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP), United Nations(UN) has increased India’s GDP growth forecast for the calendar year 2021 to 7.5 percent, a 0.2 percent increase from its earlier projection (January 2021 projection – 7.3 percent) following a contraction of 6.8 percent (-6.8) in 2020.

•        The report forecasted India’s GDP to grow at 10.1 percent in 2022, becoming the fastest-growing major economy in the world.

 

4.WORLD FOOD PRIZE 2021

•        Indian Descent Dr Shakuntala Harak singh Thilsted, a native of Trinidad and Tobago and a citizen of Denmark, won the 2021 World Food Prize for her research, insights and innovations in developing holistic, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture and food systems.

•        She was born in 1949 on the Caribbean island of Trinidad.

•        The award carries a cash prize of 250,000 USD (around Rs 1.8 crore).

•        The award was announced by Barbara Stinson, President of the World Food Prize Foundation.

 

5.IREDA WON THE “GREEN URJA AWARD 2021”

•        Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) won the Green Urja Award 2021 for its developmental role towards the Green Energy Financing.

•        IREDA won the award for being the Leading Public Institution in Financing Institution for Renewable Energy.

•        The award was conferred by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

 

6.NASA SPACECRAFT OSIRIS-REX HEADS FOR EARTH

•        National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)’s Spacecraft Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx), started its 2-year long journey towards earth with the samples- rocks and dust -collected from the Asteroid Bennu.

•        The Spacecraft will orbit the sun twice before delivering the samples to the Earth in September 2023.

•        The Asteroid Bennu is located around 200 million miles (around 1.9 Astronomical Units) away from Earth.

 

7.“SHOOTER DADI” CHANDROTOMAR PASSED AWAY DUE TO COVID-19

•        The 89-year-old sharpshooter ChandroTomar passed away in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh after suffering from COVID-19.

•        ChandroTomar popularly known as “Shooter Dadi”, started her shooting career in her 60’s and was acclaimed as the World’s Oldest Women Shooter.

•        The 2019 movie “Saand Ki Aankh” was based on the biography of ChandroTomar and PrakahiTomar (2nd oldest woman shooter in the world).

•        BothChandroTomar and PrakahiTomar belong to Johri village of Uttar Pradesh.

 

8.INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY 2021

•        The International Nurses Day (IND) 2021 is annually celebrated across the globe on May 12 to highlight the importance of nurses in healthcare and to appreciate their work towards healthcare.

•        The International Nurses Day marks the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

•        The theme of IND 2021 is Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare.

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DAILY GK: 11,12 MAY 2021

 DAILY GK: 11,12 MAY 2021

1.‘PASSEX’ EXCERCISE IN THE ARABIAN SEA

•        The Indian and Indonesian Navies conducted Passage Exercise (PASSEX) in the Southern Arabian sea.

•        The main aim of the exercise was to improve interoperability and understanding between the Navy units of two countries.

•        ‘Garuda Shakti’ is a bilateral exercise between the Special forces of armies of India & Indonesia.

 

2.3RD ARCTIC SCIENCE MINISTERIAL 2021

•        Union Minister for Earth Science Dr Harsh Vardhan virtually represented India in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3) 2021 held in Tokyo, Japan, it was jointly organized by Iceland & Japan. 

•        The ASM3 2021 is the 1st meeting to be held in Asia.

•        The theme for 2021 is ‘Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic’.

•        India’s vision & long-term plans for the Arctic region

•        India is set to launch ‘NISAR’ (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) in collaboration with the US for conducting global measurements of the cause and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.

•        India’s research activities in the Arctic region are coordinated & conducted by National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

•        It has a permanent research station in the Arctic called ‘Himadri’ in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway.

 

3.WORLD’S LONGEST PEDESTRIAN SUSPENSION BRIDGE

•        Portugal opened the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge named ‘516 Arouca’ in Northern Portugal.

•        The 516-meter long bridge is built in the AroucaGeopark, which is suspended at 175 metres above the Paiva River.

 

4.WORLD’S FASTEST-GROWING RETAILER

•        In the “2021 Ranking of Global retail powerhouses” by Deloitte, millionaire MukeshAmbani’s Reliance Retail Ltd has been ranked the 2nd fastest-growing retailer in the world, which is 1 rank down from its 2020 rank (In 2020 it was ranked 1st).

•        Note – South Korea’s Coupang is the World’s 1st Fastest-Growing Retailers.

•        In the report of the list of Global Powers, Retailing Reliance Retail Ltd was ranked 53rd (ranked 56th in 2020’s list) and it was the only Indian entry in the global list of 250 retailers.

 

5.HIMANTABISWASARMA BECOMES CHIEF MINISTER OF ASSAM

•        HimantaBiswaSarma was sworn in as the 15th  Chief Minister of Assam.

•        He has replaced SarbanandaSonowal.

•        Both the candidates are from BJP(Bharatiya Janata Party).

•        He was administered the oath by Governor JagdishMukhi.

•        It has to be noted that he was appointed based on Article 164 by which the Governor appoints the Chief Minister.

•        The Governor then appoints the ministers based on the recommendation of the Chief Minister.

 

6.SPANISH GRAND PRIX 2021

•        Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (Britain) won the Spanish Grand Prix 2021 for the 6th time (5th consecutive victory).

•        The Spanish GP was held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmela, Spain.

•        The victory is also his 98th F1 Race Win (highest-ever in F1).

 

7.MK KAUSHIK PASSES AWAY

•        Former India hockey player and coach Maharaj Krishan Kaushik(M K Kaushik) passed away at the age of 66 after battling COVID-19 in New Delhi.

•        He was born on 2nd May 1955.He was the member of the Indian Hockey team that won the Gold medal in 1980 Olympics held in Moscow,Russia

 

8.1ST INDIAN STATE TO ADOPT AN ONLINE FLOOD REPORTING SYSTEM

•        Assam launched a real-time Digital – Flood Reporting and Information Management System (FRIMS).

•        With this launch, Assam became the 1st state in India to adopt an online flood reporting system.

•        FRIMS was developed jointly by Assam State Disaster Management Agency(ASDMA) and United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF).

•        Objective: To capture critical impact indicators during floods as the state is facing a deluge (severe flood) every year.

 

9.ANTI-COVID ORAL DRUG DEVELOPED BY DRDO

•        A drug developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization, DRDO got the approval for emergency use by the Drugs Controller General of India, DCGI.

•        The oral drug has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, a lab of DRDO, in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Hyderabad.

•        Phase III clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalized patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.

•        The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (Inmas) in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Hyderabad, developed an anti-Covid-19 therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG).

 

10.NITI AAYOG&MASTERCARD RELEASE REPORT ON DIGITALLY INCLUSIVE BHARAT

•        NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) &Mastercard released a report titled ‘Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat’.

•        FTI Consulting was the Research and Curation Partner of the report.

•        It identifies the challenges in accelerating digital financial inclusion in India and provides recommendations for making digital services accessible to 1.3 Billion citizens of India.

•        Enabling Agricultural NBFCs to deploy a ‘phygital’ model (physical+digital) to achieve better long-term digital outcomes.

•        Digitizing land records also was recommended.

 

11.THANE CREEK FLAMINGO SANCTUARY AS ECO-SENSITIVE ZONE (ESZ)

•        The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified 48.32 Square Kilometres area around the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS), Thane, Maharashtra as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).

•        It is the 2nd marine sanctuary of Maharashtra after Malvan Sanctuary, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra.

 

12.BOOST OXYGEN SUPPLY IN INDIA’S NE REGION

•        The Government of Japan & United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), India have partnered to provide oxygen generation plants to the North Eastern (NE) Region in India.

•        The entities will procure and install 8 Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants in the states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.

 

13.SHEIKH ZAYED BOOK AWARD IN 2021

•        Mumbai born TaheraQutbuddin, Professor of Arabic Literature, Department of NELC, University of Chicago, won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2021 for her book titled “Arabic Oration: Art and Function”.

•        She became the first person from India to win the award.

•        She won the award under the Arab Culture in Other Languages category.

 

14.ARLINE PACHT GLOBAL VISION AWARD FOR 2021 BY IAWJ

•        Justice Gita Mittal, Former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) received the Arline Pacht Global Vision Award for 2021 by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ).

•        She became the first India Judge to receive the honour.

•        She was declared as one of the recipients of the award.

•        She shared the award with Justice Margarita Luna Ramos of Mexico.

•        Gita Mittal is currently serving as the Chairperson of the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), a self-regulatory body for general entertainment channels established by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF).

•        She is the first woman to hold this post.

 

15.INDIAN PEACEKEEPING OFFICER HONORED BY UN

•        UN Secretary General Antonio Guterreshonored Indian UN Peacekeeping officer Yuvraj Singh, who died in line of duty in 2020, during the UN annual Memorial Service 2021.

•        Permanent Representative of India to UN, T S Tirumurti saluted Yuvraj Singh’s valour and contribution, and conveyed condolences to the family.

•        Corporal Yuvraj Singh was among the 336 UN personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty due to the COVID-19 and related circumstances between January 1 and December 31, 2020.

 

16.SpaceX to launch DOGE-1 Satellite

•        SpaceX is set to launch the ‘DOGE-1’ Satellite to the Moon in 2022.

•        It will accept the cryptocurrency ‘Dogecoin’ as full payment for the mission.

•        It will be the 1st ever commercial lunar payload in history to be paid entirely with a Cryptocurrency.

•        The Satellite is being developed by Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC), and will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon9 rocket.

 

17.World’s First AI Ship to Navigate across The Atlantic

•        World’s First Unmanned Vessel named “Mayflower 400” is set to Navigate Across Atlantic.

•        It has been built by the marine research organization ProMare in collaboration with IBM.

•        It will begin its transatlantic voyage to track aquatic mammals, analyze plastic in the water, and study marine pollution.

 

18.National Technology Day – 11th May 2021

•        The National Technology Day is annually observed across India on 11th May to celebrate India’s major advancement in the field of Science and Technology.

•        The day marks the anniversary of the 1998 Pokhran Nuclear tests, a series of 5 nuclear tests conducted by India.

•        The theme of National Technology Day 2021 is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.

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DAILY GK: 9,10 MAY 2021

 DAILY GK: 9,10 MAY 2021

1.ARMED FORCES LAUNCHED OPERATION ‘CO-JEET’

•        The Indian Armed Forces has launched operation “CO-JEET” to support anti-COVID-19 efforts of the country.

•        Lieutenant General Dr.MadhuriKanitkar is monitoring the steps & working on strategies to provide relief to Covid-19 Patients.She is the 3rd woman to become a three-star general in the armed forces behind Punita Arora(1st) &Padmavathy Bandopadhyay(2nd).

•        It aims to strengthen medical infrastructure and oxygen supply chains and to ensure mental wellbeing of people.

 

2.INDIA TOPPED VEHICLE IMPORTS INTO SOUTH AFRICA

•        According to the ‘Automotive Export Manual 2021-South Africa’ report released by Automotive Industry Export Council (AIEC), India was the top country of origin in Volume terms for passenger cars & Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) imports into South Africa in 2020, despite COVID-19 lockdowns & global decline in vehicle sales.

•        India accounted for 43.2% (87, 953 units )of total passenger cars & Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) imported by South Africa in 2020.

 

3.RBI SET UP ADVISORY GROUP  TO ASSIST RRA 2.0

•        The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Regulations Review Authority (RRA 2.0) has constituted a 6-member Advisory Group headed by S Janakiraman, Managing Director of State Bank of India to support in reviewing the RBI’s regulations and compliance procedures to streamline/ rationalise them to make them more effective.

 

4.LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS – 2021

•        The 22nd Laureus World Sports Awards 2021 were unveiled at a Digital Awards Ceremony from Sevilla, Spain.

•        Spanish Tennis Player Rafael Nadal won the Sportsman of the year title, while Japanese Tennis player Naomi Osaka won the Sportswomen of the year title.

•        The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

 

5.INTERPOL LAUNCHES ‘ID-ART’ MOBILE APP

•        International Crime Police Organization (INTERPOL) has launched a Mobile Application (app) – ‘ID-Art’ which will help to identify the stolen cultural property, reduce smuggling and increase the possibility of recovering stolen works and artefacts.

•        During the pilot phase, the app was successfully used in Italy & Netherlands.

 

6.CBSE LAUNCHED APP– ‘DOST FOR LIFE’

•        The Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) has launched an app called ‘Dost For Life’ to maintain psycho-social wellness during Covid-19.

•        The app will be available for students from classes 9 to 12 and will conduct live counselling sessions by the trained counsellors/principals (app available on Google Play Store).

 

7.WORLD RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT DAY 2021

•        The World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is annually observed across the globe on 8th May to celebrate and acknowledge the volunteers, members and staff who support the people in need.

•        The day also commemorates the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC).

•        He was born on 8th May 1828.

 

8.WORLD THALASSEMIA DAY 2021

•        Every year the World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8.

•        The day is celebrated to encourage the patients suffering from Thalassemia, to raise awareness amongst the general public and decision-makers about thalassaemia.

•        Theme :“Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassemia Community”.

 

9.WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY 2021

•        World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is bi-annually observed across the world on the 2nd Saturday in May and in October.

•        The day aims to create awareness about the importance of the conservation of migratory birds and their habitats.

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